Home by Toni Morrison Book Review

Submitted by Adults on Wed, 06/19/2013 - 11:19

Home is the newest title by Morrison, and it reads more like a novella or short story rather than a novel. Beautifully evocative and succinct, the author has the ability to find just the right word choices to give her writing a life of its own. The story is a short 147 pages with plenty of white space around each page.

Frank Money is a returning vet who is struggling to return to the normalcy of life after fighting in Korea and losing his two closest “homeboys.” Deeply depressed, suffering from PTSD, and finding prejudices everywhere he looks it’s not easy to get back to life. Not wanting to return to the small town dead end life he lived before the war, he struggles with how to go on. His sister Cee is the closest thing he has in his life, and he receives a desperate letter to come at once or she will be dead.

Enter the story as he finds his way to his sister, and the back story of the other characters in the book. The reader will find their way into a 1950’s small Southern town full of brutality and yet beauty. Morrison tells a good story full of symbolism and yet inspiration. Every reader will come away with a piece of wisdom that fits their very own story.

Morrison once again pulls no punches and tells the story of racism and the unfairness of the world as she sees it. While painful at times, it glitters with truth and gives the hope of how the world could be. She is especially good at strong women characters, and this book is no exception. Loving and being responsible for yourself is a theme that she tends to go to in her books. Other books with this type of message are: